Lock



April 27 1926. 1,582,790

F. SC-HAUM El' AL LOCK Filed Sep-t. 5, 1925 .f A'ITORNEYS xNvENToRS /fgm- Patented Apr. 27, 1926.

UNITED stares r ATENT OFFICE.

FLETCHER SCHAUM, OF PHILADELPHIA, AND JOI-IN F. SCHMA'UK, OF GLENSIDE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO FLETCHER WORKS, INCORPORATED, OF PHILA- DELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 0F PENNSYLVANIA.

LOCK.

Application md september 3, 1925. serial No. 54,189.

To all whom t mcg/'conccrnr Be it known that we, FLETCHER SCHAUM and JoHN F. SGHMAUK, citizens of the United States, and resid-ents of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and Glenside, in the county of Montgomery and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, respectively, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Locks, of which the following is a speciication.

Our invention relates to an improvement in locks, being particularly adapted for use as a safety lock for centrifugals, although adapted, of course, for use in other connections.

One of the objects of our invention is the provision of a lock for locking in place, or preventing movement of, a normally stationary member, when another member, with which the first member co-operates, is in motion.

More specifically we provide locking mechanism in `part controlled by a movable member, whereby a stationary member controlled by the movable member may be locked and held locked against release as long as the movable member is in motion.

Still more specifically we provide a locking mechanism, Vadapted to be controlled at least in part by a rotatable member, for locking a relatively I stationary member against movement as long as the rotatable vmember is rotating. I

In the following description we will describe our invention in connection with a centrifugal wherein the same has been embodied for the purpose of preventing release of the cover of the centrifugal as long as the rotor or basket of the centrifugal is in motion. 1

In the accompanying drawings- Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of our improved apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a sectional rear elevation of the same; f

Fig. 3 isa view similar to Fig. 2 with part of the apparatus in the position assumed when an attempt is made to operate the lock under conditions other than normal; and

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 1 designates the rotor or basket of a centrifugal and 2 a cover which is to be locked against release by our improved mechanism. 3 designates the tub of the centrifugal', to which we attach a casing 4 containing the locking *mechanism v Mounted for vertical movement in said casing, that is to say, movement parallel to the axis of rotation of the basket or rotor 1, is a keeper 5 provided with a notch 6. This keeper is provided with a head 7, which functions as a stop for limiting the movement of the keeper in a downward Aor locking direction under the action of a spring 8. This spring is supported between the head aforesaid and the top of the lock casing 4.

The cover 2 of the centrifugal is mounted so as to be swung in a horizontal plane about a vertical axis, as distinguished from being hinged, and at a suitable point in its periphery is provided with a notch 9 which receives the bolt or keeper 5, the notch 6, above mentioned, which is provided in the keeper lying below the edge `of the cover when the cover is locked to thereby prevent rotation of the cover.

In order that the cover may be unlocked it becomes necessary to raise the keeper until its notch straddles the edge of the cover to permit the cover to be swung to one side. To this end, therefore, we provide a lockcontrolling rod 11 extending through the lock-casing 4 parallel to the keeper 5. At ,the upper end of this rod we provide a handle 12 for effecting reciprocation of the rod, a spring 13 being interposed between the top of the casing 4 and a shoulder 14 provided intermediate the ends of the rod 11. This spring, it will be understood, maintains the rod 11 in the position shown in Fig. 1.

Adjacent the lower end of the ook-controlling rod 11 we provide a stud 15 extending at right angles to the rod 11 and on this stud we pivot a keeper-controlling member 16. This keeper-controlling member is held in the position shown in Fig. 1, that is to say, in a vertical position, by means of a spring 17. It will be seen that the keepercontrolling member is capable of movement about an axisV which is at right angles to the axis of rotation of the basket 1.

Pivoted to the member 16 on a pivot 18 provided for that purpose is a roller-carrying member or bracket 19 carrying at its lower end a Y*roller 20. rlhe roller 20 is mounted on a pivot 21 in the bracket and for convenience we attach to this pivot a pin 22 adapted to engage the lock-controlling rod 11 so as to limit-'the swing of the member 16 about its pivot 15. The roller 20, that is to say, the bracket 19 carrying the roller and the roller itself by reason of the pivot 18, has a movement toward and away from the basket 1, as viewed in Fig. 1. The

movement of the roller 20 in a direction away from the basket 1 is limited by a stop 23 carried by the bracket 19 and adapted to engage the member 16. The roller is held withits stop against the member 16 under normal conditions by a spring 2 4;

As pointed out at the beginning of this description, it is one of the objects of our invention to provide a locking mechanism for the covers of centrifugals, for instance,

whereby the cover will be held in locked .position as long as the basket of the centrifugal is rotating. Assuming-therefore, that in the embodiment of our invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings that the parts are-in the position shown on Fig. 1 and that the basket 1 is being rotated: With the parts in this position it will be seen that swinging of the cover 2 toward open position is prevented by the keeper 5, the latter lying in the notch 9 provided in the cover edge. The rod 11 may now be moved upwardly against the action of its spring 13 by means of the handle 12 so as to move the keeper-controlling member 16 toward the lower end Vof the keeper. Before these two ends make contact, however, the roller 20 will engage the periphery of the basket 1 and as the basket is rotating the engagement of the roller 20 therewith will Vcause the roller to be pushed to one side, that is to say, to be rotated about the pivot 15. As will be apparent from an inspection of Fig. 2, this movement of the roller 20 and hence of the keeper-controlling member 16. which carries the roller, will carry the keeper- Vcontrolling member 16 out of line with the keeper. Consequently, the rod 11 may be moved upwardly to the limit of its movement without, however, bringing the end of the keeper-controlling member 16 into engagement with the lower end of the keeper itself. So far as the keeper, therefore, is concerned, it remains in position and the cover 2 remains locked. It will be seen, therefore, that manipulation of the rod 11 to actuate the keeper 5 is. impossible as long as the basket 1 of the centrifugal is rotat- 111g.

Assuming now that the basket 1 is stationary: t will be seen that by moving the rod 11 upwardly the roller 2O will engage the basket 1 and further movement of the rod 11 will carry the roller upwardly along the bevelled portion 25 of the basket, the roller moving inwardly slightly away from the basket against'the action of the spring 24; provided for this purpose, the keepercontrolling member 16, however, remaining in line with the keeper V5 until the member 16 engages the keeper and moves the same upwardlyuntil finally the notch 6 in the keeper straddles the edge of the cover 2, whereupon the cover is unlocked and may be swung to open position.

It will be seen from the foregoing that we have provided enclosed locking mechanism inaccessible from the exterior of the machine eXcept for an operating handle 12, so constructed and arranged that when the same is applied Vto a centrifugal, for eX- ample, the cover Yof the centrifugal cannot be moved to open position as long as the basket of the centrifugal is in motion.VV As pointed out at the beginning of this description, it is to be understood that our improved device is capable of use in other connections and for this reason, therefore, is not to be limited to application to centrifugals only.

It is to be understood, furthermore, that changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts herein illustrated and described within the purview of our invention.

lVhat we claim is:

1. A safety lock for centrifugals comprising in combination, a keeper, a lock-controlling rod lying adjacent said keeper and parallel thereto, and a keeper-controlling member carried by said rod adaptedY when the centrifugal is at rest to be carried by movement of the said rod into engagement with said keeper to move the keeper out of locking position, said keeper-controlling member being moved by the centrifugalV when the centrifugal is rotating into position to prevent its engagement with the keeper when said rod is actuated.

2. A lock comprising in combination a keeper, a keeper-controlling rod, a keepercontrolling member carried by said rod and y normally lying directly beneath said keeper, whereby upon actuation of the said rod longitudinally the keeper will be forced out of locking position, said keeper-controlling member being pivoted on said rod, so that under predetermined conditions the keepercontrolling member will be swung out of alinement with the keeper under actuation of the lock controlling rod.

3. A lock comprising an enclosed casing, a keeper mounted thereon, a lock-controlling rod within said casing and extending below the lower or locking end of said keeper, a keeper-cont-rolling member pivoted on said rod, and a spring for maintaining said keepercontrolling member -in alinement With said keeper under normal conditions.

4. In a centrifugal comprising a basket and a cover for the basket, a keeper for locking the cover against movement, a lockcontrolling rod, a keeper-controlling member carried by said rod, and pivoted thereto, said keeper-controlling member being dis'- posed normally in alinement with said keeper, and means carried by the keeper-controlling member and adapted to engage said basket, whereby When said basket is in motion the keeper-controlling member Will be moved out of alinement with the keeper to prevent movement of the same out of locking or cover-releasing position.

5. In a centrifugal comprising a. basket and a cover therefor provided with a notch in its periphery, a keeper engageable with said notch for preventing movement of the cover, means for engaging the said keeper to move the same out of locking position said notch when said basket is stationary, said means When the basket is in motion being moved to a position Where it is no longer engageable With the keeper.

6. In combination, a centrifugal basket, a cover therefor provided With a notch in its periphery, a fixed casing, a keeper in said casing adapted to be received by said notch to hold the cover against movement, a pivoted keeper-controlling member, a rod carrelatively to yrying said member and slidable from the exterior of said casing to engage the keepercontrolling member to move the same out of cover-locking position when the centrifugal basket is stationary, said keeper-controlling member being moved by said basket out of alinement With the keeper When the basket is rotating.

This specification signed this 31st day of August 1925.

FLETCHER SCHAUM.

This specification signed this 31st day of August 1925.

JOHN F. SCHMAUK. 

